The Question of a Lifetime
by TempestJewel
Summary: One Christmas night Dib is tucking his daughter into bed when she asks a very difficult and sad question. What can he say to that? "You never tell him so" Takes place during the three years time skip of 'I Believe In You' but is not necessary to understand this story. This is DwickyXDib romance with past Zim&Dib Romance DADR and Past ZADR Give it a chance folks.


**Don't you love Daddy?**

 **Hi everyone! TempestJewel here, I have yet another DADR one-shot! This will take place in the Three years between Dwicky saving Dib, and Dib's confession! In my other story "I Believe in You" but you don't have to read it to get this but it would be helpful. This will be sad I think but I plan a semi-happy ending for it! Yay!**

 **Also looking for an Invader Zim RP partner or community I guess if anyone is interested review or pm me! I am on KIK and Facebook and Kingdoms at War!**

 **I have a poll up check it out please!**

 **Third Person P.O.V.**

On a large ship docked on the outskirts of a snowbound planet Christmas night Dib Membrane is tucking his two year old daughter into bed.

"Did you have fun today sweetheart?" He asks his little girl as he puts her toys away that she had received; a tiny robot with no guns of course, a stuffed Irken soldier and a Captain Irk figurine. He left with her however the stuffed Pegasus they had picked up on earth and stashed for Christmas. Dib looks at it wondering how it became her favorite. It was a grey Pegasus with blond hair and two off set eyes named 'Derpy' sure it was cute but… okay well its cute.

The Scythe haired man thinks to himself but would never say as such out loud thinking his dignity could not take another blow of feminism.

"Zee had lots of fun mommy! Uncle Mooshy and Uncle Spootney took Zee sledding! Did you see that? Did you?"

Dib chuckles at his daughter setting her small form in her bed stroking her lekku that pokes through her black hair to get her sleepy a trick he learned when dating Zim on his worst insomniac days.

"Yes I saw you from the ship while I and daddy were having lunch." Dib tells his little girl not mentioning he only saw half of her play as Dwicky had some other 'ideas' on how to spend Christmas together while their plookisian friends played with their daughter.

"Oh did you and daddy have a good Christmas together?" Zee asks excitedly and he wonders why she is always asking about his and Dwicky's relationship she is only 2 ½ after all she shouldn't be questioning these things so young.

"Why yes we did we had lots of fun together." Dib answers not letting his inner thoughts of the true nature of their 'fun' out barely able to hide his blush.

The little green girl looks at her mother wondering if she should ask her next question but she doesn't have to wonder long as her mother quickly notices the small frown on the little girls face.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Dib asks her, petting her hair back careful not to hurt her lekku as he looks at her in concern. "Would you have rather me and daddy spent today with you instead of tomorrow?" The man asks his daughter since they celebrate two days of Christmas they divide each year how it is spent this year Dib and Dwicky had gotten day two.

"No Zee will be happy to spend it with you and daddy tomorrow. But… Zee… Zee wants to know…" the small child fist her sheets almost tearing them with her developing claws afraid to ask the next question. Dib is quick to reassure his daughter not wanting her fears to stop her from talking to him.

He lies next to her in bed and pulls her close knowing the contact helped her calm down. "It is okay sweetie you can ask mommy anything. Promise."

"Zee wonders… Does mommy love daddy?" She asks looking up at a shocked Dib who has frozen a look of pure shock on his face as he gazes into her magenta orbs.

Zee begins tearing up as the silence continues thinking that her fears were true and that mommy didn't really love daddy.

"I knew it! You don't love him! Why do you not love daddy? He loves mommy so much!" Zee exclaims purple gel-like tears coming from her magenta eyes this jumpstarts Dib's brain as he quickly begins wiping them away trying to reassure his daughter.

"That's not true at all! Sweetie I promise what made you think I don't love your daddy?"

The child pushes her mother's hands away trying to put her reasoning out there.

"Daddy is always doing things trying to make you smile but then you cry! And and! Sometimes you do that with me too! You will just be watching me and then… just start crying! Zee has seen you hide where you think me and Daddy won't see but Zee sees!" She begins crying again as Dib's eyes widen in horror at being caught in his breakdowns and by the one who wouldn't understand he tries to pull his daughter closer he wants to reassure her but she has started her train of thought and won't stop. Just like her biological father.

"If you loved Daddy and me you wouldn't cry so much right? It means your sad isn't it? And and you never tell daddy you love him! He tells you he loves you all the time and I have never heard you say it back! On the cartoons and according to Uncle Mooshy people who love each other are supposed to say so! Have you ever said it to daddy?"

She accuses and asks at the same time and Dib begins tearing up but tries to explain. "No but I-"

The little girl doesn't wait for him to finish and jumps up crying just as hard as her mother. "Zee knew it! You don't! Why are you here? Why do you stay with us if we make you so unhappy! If me and daddy hurt you so much why do you stay- Mommy?"

The child's spur of the moment questioning ends with Dib hugging her and curling around her like a cat since she is so tiny barely two feet tall she easily is held by his bigger frame.

"That's not it at all… Mommy loves you very much and you make me so happy… I have never been so happy. Mommy knows she shouldn't cry over you and daddy but I can't help it… Mommy is hurt very badly and you and daddy help mommy heal, but healing hurts just as much as being hurt."

The little girl is shocked and confused at her mother's words. "Hurt? You are hurt? Where! Show Zee! Zee will make it heal faster so it won't hurt anymore!" The small child yells jumping out of her mother's hold to pull the tiny first aid kit out of her PAK she has with her always she looks so serious Dib can't help but laugh quietly even as fresh tears come from his eyes at how Zim-like she is acting right now.

"It isn't that kind of hurt sweetie. I hurt in here." Dib tries to explain to his daughter pointing to his heart. "Mommy lost her heat once and now that it is back and it hurts so much at all the love in it."

Zee looks more confused now kneeling in front of Dib's chest placing her tiny hand over his heart as she feels its beating.

"Why does love hurt you mommy? Love makes me feel happy and I can tell it makes daddy and my uncles happy why does it hurt you?"

Dib frowns thinking of a way to tell his daughter about Zim without giving out too much information because as far as the little 2 year old is concerned Dwicky is her father which he technically is just not genetically and they agreed not to tell her till she was older.

"Mommy once… loved someone else… but that someone else got hurt and died because mommy was stupid." Zee looks shocked that her mother once loved another and voices her questions.

"Did you cry around that person too? Did you not tell them you loved them?"

"I told him I loved him every day… and I meant it… except for the day he died I couldn't tell him and he died believing I hated him." Dib tells his daughter hoping she doesn't hate him for how awful he really is and feels his heart breaking again as he just knows his daughter will see him as the monster he is now. He closes his eyes ready for her to yell at him or run out of the room.

"Is that why your heart hurts because you miss this person?" Zee asks poking her mother's face not mad at her just having Zim's vague sense of understanding. "And by loving daddy you feel as if you are hurting this person more?"

Dib wipes his eyes this conversation hurting his emotions more than normal. "Yes but that doesn't mean I don't love you and daddy I am trying to get better I promise…" Dib feels small hands touch his face as his daughter looks at him looking truly sorry and starting to cry too.

"Zee is sorry mommy Zee didn't know you were hurting Zee thought her and daddy made you sad…" Dib pulls his daughter to him allowing her to bury her face in his chest as they cried together. After a little while they both calm down and Zee asks her last questions for the night. "So you do love daddy?"

Dib nods and answers. "I do I love him very much."

Zee yawns and her magenta eyes begin slipping closed and Dib puts her under her little blanket.

"When are you going to tell him?" she asks and Dib thinks a second.

"When mommy is strong enough he will" He tells her the only answer that makes sense and Zee nods drifting off finally.

"I love you mommy…" the child says these last words as she falls asleep and Dib kisses her forehead and thinks he hears something outside her door but then ignores it as it was probably his imagination and he finishes putting her toys up before heading to bed himself with his husband/lover.

 **Outside the room still third person POV**

In the dark Dwicky walks back to his and Dib's room having went to check on his lover and daughter when Dib was taking longer than normal putting the small half-Irken to sleep. He is smiling with joy in his heart. ' _I do I love him very much.'_ Dib's words float and repeat in his mind words that he had eavesdropped on. He had wanted to break in when he first arrived and heard them crying but upon his little girls accusations of Dib he needed to hear the replies and he was glad he did.

He now knew Dib loved him. Of course he had Dib's heart but to hear it from his lover was just amazing now if only he would say it to him directly…. But he had the promise, when Dib was strong enough he will say it. Dwicky had to believe this.

When he makes it back to his and Dib's shared room he undresses quickly getting under the covers not before hanging some mistletoe on the headboard not able to resist the allure of getting one more kiss from his lover. He hears Dib's footsteps approach and quickly pretends to be reading a book as if he had been waiting awhile knowing Dib wouldn't handle him having eavesdropped well.

The door slides open and Dib walks in and smiles at Dwicky. Once the door is closed Dib too strips down.

"Sorry I am late dear I and Zee had a little talk before sleep."

Dwicky opens his arms after putting his book down for Dib to fall into which he does with a happy sigh...

"All is well I presume?" Dwicky asks running his fingers through Dib's hair and kissing his hairline causing Dib to sigh again and melt against him.

Dib begins absentmindedly making patterns on Dwicky's chest with his fingers as he lays on him. "Yes and I think… I think I am happy we had it… though I wasn't while it was going on…"

Dwicky brings Dib up to face him kissing him lovingly which Dib returns putting both hands on Dwicky's chest as he turns and fully presses himself against his husband.

Dwicky breaks the kiss. "I am glad and merry Christmas my love." He tells Dib pointing up at the mistletoe grinning.

Dib just rolls his eyes and gives Dwicky a peck on the lips throwing the mistletoe away from the bed. "You're insatiable"

Dwicky just grins. "True so very true…. But I do love you… my insatiability is just a bonus!"

Dib just smiles and shakes his head lying back down against Dwicky's side who wraps his arm around him.

"I do love you." He repeats and Dib tries to say it back wants to say it back he tightens the hand he has on his lover's chest into a fist.

"I… I… I know… " He says instead and wants to hit himself he feels like crying again for failing to say three simple little words.

Dwicky notices Dib's struggle and turns to hold him in both arms. "Shh it's okay…. You don't have to say it back… As long as you know I love you its okay alright? You are here with me and that is all I need." He works to calm Dib with practiced ease knowing what to do and say.

It works as Dib calms in his hold. "I am sorry." Dib whispers to his husband who simply kisses him knowing what he truly means to say...

"I know."

 **Author's note: Well wasn't that a barrel of sadness and maybe even hope? Oh well if you haven't read 'I Believe in You' I recommend it to help better understand this story it is a one-shot as well about how Dwicky and Dib got together and his love confession. I wanted to help illustrate the frustration in the family Dib's issues cause and I hope I did. Please review and let me know how I did! Thanks!**


End file.
